Box-end sawing and nailing apparatus



July 29, 1930. H. J. GOFF BOX END SAWING AND NAILING APPARATUS Filed June 3', 1929 3 Shets-Sheet 1 Rd. Goff g!. $2.3m

ATTORN EY July 29, 1930. H. J. GOFF 1,771,888

BOX END SAWING AND NAILING APPARATUS Filed June 3, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR H. c7. Goff BY Q .LLLL

ATTO R N EY July 29, 1930. H. J. GOFF BOX END SAWING AND NAILING APPARATUS Filed June 3, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 .IIIIIIFIIII I H-cf- Goff Q? ,mm

ATTORNEY Patented Jul 29, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY J. G01], 01 STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB TO STOCKTON BOX COMPANY, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION BOX-END SAWING AND NAIIIING APPARATUS Application filed June 3, 1929. Serial No. 887,915.

This invention relates to the manufacture of grape boxes and particularly ones of that character which are known as display boxes. In such boxes a portion of the end boards or shooks are removed together with the lid as a unit when the grapes are to remain in and be displayed from the box, so that the top layer of grapes, owing to the inevitable settling had during shipment, will then substantially be alined with the shortened level of the end boards after the lid is removed, and the box will still present a full appearance.

To. thus provide for a removal of a portion of the end boards they are now preferably 5 made of two superimposed pieces nailed to each other. The parts have heretofore been cut separately, then assembled and subsequently nailed, and these operations have made such boxes relatively costly.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an apparatus which saws the end boards horizontally to form the same into two separated parts and then without dislodging the separated parts nails them together again.

25 The desired result is therefore obtained without-the use of the initially separated parts and the consequent expense of assembling and greater production is had in a lesser time and at a greatly lessened cost.

The apparatus includes means for continuously feeding the end boards past a saw and a nailing machine, and means operated in timed conjunction with the feeding means for operating the nailing machine.

A further object of my invention is to interpose automatic control means so that the nailing machine will not operate if no boards are being fed to said machine even though the feeding mechanism continues to function. This avoids the possibility of two sets of nails being driven into the same board at v the same place, which would probably damage the machine and the board, and also avoids the need of an operator having to constantly keep watch to see that this contingency does not occur.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the position of the parts just as a board has been fed from the stack toward the saw.

Fig. 3 is a similar fragmentary view foreshortened showing the position of the parts as the board feeding dog is being retracted and the nailing controlling pedal is depressed.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the inoperative position of the nailing pedal control member when the board feeding dog is being advanced but no board is in place.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectionv taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a horizontal table to support a stack of end boards 2 on their bottom edges in face to face abutting relationship; guides 1 on the table engaging the side edges of the boards to hold them all in common alinement. Suitably driven feeding means 3 is arranged in connection with the table to engage the boards on the bottom and feed the same toward and against a vertical stop plate 4 disposed across the table at one end.

Mounted just beyond the table on one side of the same is a driven disc 5 disposed parallel to the stop plate or on an axis parallel to the direction of initial feeding of the boards in the stack.

Slidable in a horizontal guide 6 provided in connection with the stop plate just below the level of the table is a block 7 on which a i V greaterthan the length of the board so that a alinement with a board engaged with thestop plate and is adapted to project above the table a short distance so as to engage the end edge of said board nearest the disc and move the same in the opposite direction. The block is connected to the disc at a point offset fromthe center of the 'latter by a connecting rod 9. These parts are so arranged relative to the initial position of the boards that the dog engages the end of the board nearest the disc when the rod is at one end'of its stroke, and

with the movement ofthe rod tothe opposite end of its stroke, the dog will shift the board lengthwise of itself a distance sufiiciently considerable space is then had, as shown in Fig. 2, between that board and the adjacent one in thestack then moving against the stop plate. a

The board thus moved is received onto a table 10 extending at right angles to but on a level with the table 1 and bears against a guide and-back plate 11, alined with the plate 4; said board being yieldably pressed against the plate 11 by spring pressed elements 12. As the board is thus advanced by the dog it is engaged and cut through a certain distance from its upper edge by acircular saw 13 disposed in a horizontal plane, and mounted back of the plate 11. Said board therefore by the time it has passed beyond the saw will be in two separated pieces.

Each board as it is fully advanced by the dog remains stationary and is only partly cut through until the next board in its advance presses against and further advances said partly cut board. This board therefore for the time being is still in its unitary form so that there is no danger of the piece being sawed ofi. becoming dislodged; As the board is further advanced and the top portion is completely out off it is received under a top spring pressed plate 14, which takes up the space formed by the saw cut and presses the two separated pieces firmly together. The board pieces are also still engaged by the side elements 12 so that the two separated pieces are maintained in closely associated relation as they are moved along the table 10.

Associated with the table 10 a certain distance beyond the saw is a nailing machine N of standard type. This machine includes nailing chutes 15 terminating at their lower ends over the board in spaced relation to the ends thereof, nailing plungers 16 to engage and drive the nails from the chutes into the board simultaneously, a vertically movable yoke 17 on which the plungers are mounted and slidably guided by a frame 18 (see Fig. 1) and a depressible pedal member 19 which controls the operation of the yoke driving mechanism and whose depression causes a nailing cycle to take place. As above stated,

Connected to and extending u wardly from the pedal is a rod 20 which at its upper end .is attached to the horizontal arm of a bellcrank 21 pivoted on the frame 18. Arranged at one end to detachably engage and pull on the other and downwardly depending arm of the bellcrank is a horizontal rod 22 which at its other end is pivoted on the lower end of a trip lever 23. This lever is pivoted intermediate its ends adjacent the disc 5 on one side of the same and projects upwardly past the lower periphery of the disc. A spring 24 acts on the lever to pull the upper end of the same in a direction opposite to that of the rotation of the disc, the movement in that direction being limited by a fixed stop 25. This movement of the lever also causes the. other end of the rod 22 to be moved clear of the bellcrank 21 in a horizontal direction so as to allow the pedal 19 to then assume its normal uppermost position.

A vertical tension spring 26 is connected to the rod 22 intermediate its ends and is arranged to somewhat counteract the weight of said rod toward its free end. A lug 27 projects laterally from the disc to engage the upper end of the lever 23 and cause the rod 22 to be moved lengthwise against the resistance of the spring 24 so as to act on and pull the bell-crank arm and depress the rod 20 and the pedal 19. This lug is so positioned relative to the point of connection of the rod 9 with the disc as to cause such engagement to take place while the dog 8 is being retracted and while the row of boards is stationary on the'table 10 as shown in Fig. 3. Since the dog and one board are advanced with each rotation of the disc, and the lever 23 is also engaged by the lug 27 once with each such rotation, it will be seen that each i board as it is advanced is in turn out through and nailed without the possibility of any board being skipped.

It will be noted that the rod 22 is not positively connected with the bellcrank 21. This is because it is necessary or at least highly desirable to enable said rod to be disengaged from the bellcrank when there are no more boards on the table 1 to be advanced by the dog 8; so as to prevent a board already in place and remaining stationary under the nailing machine from being acted on twice by said machine in the event that the reciprocating parts of the apparatus still continue to operate. This disengagement is automatically effected under the above conditions by the following means:

Mounted in overhan ing relation to the boards when adjacent t e back plates 4 and 11 and disposed in alinement with the space between the end board on the table 1 and the adjacent board when fully advanced onto the table 10, is a lug 28.-

This lug is fixed on one end to a lever 29 which extends transversely of the direction of movement of the dog 8 and the boards engaged thereby and is pivoted intermediate its ends in a fixed position back of the plate (see Fig. 5). Depending from the opposite end of this lever is a rod 30 connected at its lower end to an arm 31 which projects horizontally from and is fixed on a shaft 32. This shaft extends substantially parallel to but behind the rod 22 to adjacent the nailing machine and at that end has a horizontal arm 33 projecting forwardly or in the direction opposite to the arm 31. The arm 33 projects directly under the rod 22 and is arranged in connection with a downwardly projecting strap 34. Toward its lower end this stra bears against one side of the frame 18 an has a longitudinal slot 35 through which a pin 36 passes. A compression spring 37 on the pin presses the strap against the frame and acts to hold said strap and consequently the arm 33 and parts connected thereto at any position towhich they may be moved. Between the strap 34 and its bellcrank end, the rod 22 has a downwardly sloping cam or wedge member 38 on its under side positioned to ride on the arm 33. The rod 22 adjacent the cam and said arm rides in a vertically slotted yoke 39 which limits the upward movement of the rod to a position where its free end properly engages the bellcrank.

In the operation of this feature as each board is advanced its leading edge engages and raises the lug 28. This causes the opposite end of the lever 29 to be depressed and through its connection with the arm 33 the latter will be raised,'lifting the rod 22 so as to positively engage the bellcrank and the top of the yoke slot. When said rod 22 is then moved lengthwise by the engagement of the lever 23 by the lug 27 it will move the bellcrank to depress the pedal 19. At the same time the wedge 38 bearing against and moving along the arm 33 will depress the latter against the resistance of the spring 37, since the rod itself cannot move'any higher. This depresses the lug 28 in the space then had between adjacent boards as shown in Fig. 3, since during this operation the dog is being retracted and the space in the plane of the lug is still present. Upon the return movement of the rod 22 to its original osition had when the lever 23 is released rom the lug 27, the cam 38, still engaging the lowered arm 33, will cause the adjacent end of the rod itself to be dropped so as to then be below the bellcrank, as shown in Fig. 4. If another board is then fed along the table 10 from the stack on thetable 1, closing up the space between said board and the one on the table 10 beyond,'the lug 28 will be again raised by said board, causing the arm 33 and the .rod 22 to be likewise raised and placing the latter in position to again engage the bellcrank with the next actuation of the lever 33. If however no board is then advanced, as when the stack on the table 1 is exhausted, the lug 28 will not be engaged and raised and thearm 33 and the rod 22 will remain lowered. Said rod therefore when next moved lengthwise will not engage or move the bellcrank and the latter will not be actuated to depress the nailing control pedal.

As the different boards are nailed and pushed along the table 1.0, a board already nailed of course is moved beyond the nailing machine and then passes to any suitable conveying or chute means for subsequent stacking or further handling.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the resent and preferred construction of the devlce, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a unitary combination, board advancing means, means for sawing a board into separated parts, and means for then nailing the parts together.

2. In a unitary combination, board advancing means,vmeans for sawing a board into separated parts, means for then nailing the parts together, and means holding the separated parts in associated relationship after the board is sawed and until they are nailed.

3. In unitary combination, board advancing means, means .for sawing a board into separated parts as it is thus advanced, and means mounted in fixed relationship with the advancing and sawing means for subsequently nailing the separated parts together. 4. In combination, a board support, means for advancing a board along the support, means for sawing a board into separated parts as it is thus advanced, and means for then nailing the separated parts together while still on the support.

5. In combination, aboard support, means for intermittently advancing a board along the support, means for sawing a board into separated parts as it is advanced, and means,

for then nailing the separated parts together while still on the support and whlle statlonary between successive operations of the advancing means. a

6. In a unitary combination, board advancing means, means for sawing a board into separated parts, means for then nailing the arts together, and means actuated in conunction with the advancing means for actuating the nailing means.

7. In combination, a board support, means for intermittently advancing a board along the support, means for sawing a board into separated parts as it is advanced, means for then nailing the separated parts together While still on the support, and means actuated in conjunction with the advancing means for actuating the nailing means in a predetermined timed relationship with the operation of the advancing means. a

8. In combination, a board support, means for intermittently advancing a board along the support, means for sawing a board into separated parts as it is advanced, means for then nailing the separated parts together while still on the support, and means actuated in conjunction with the advancing means for actuating the nailing means while said advancing means is in a non-functioning relationship to the board.

9. In a unitary combination, board advancing means, means for sawing a board into separated parts, means for then nailing the parts together, means actuated in conjunction with the advancing means for actuating the nailing means, and means preventing the nailing actuating means from functioning when no board is in position to be advanced by the advancing means.

10. In a unitary combination, board advancing means, means for sawing a board into separated parts, means for then nailing the parts together, said nailing means including a pedal whose depression causes the nailing means to function; a bellcrank, one arm of which is operatively connected to the pedal to depress the same when the other arm of the bellcrank is moved, a longitudinallymovable rod, one end of which normally engages said other bellcrank arm, and means applied to the other end of the rod and actuated in coordinated conjunction with the operation of the advancing means for thus moving the rod.

11 In a unitary combination, board advancing means, means for sawing a board into separated parts, means for then nailing the parts to ther, said nailing means including a pa al whose depression causes the nailin means to function; a bellcrank, one arm 0 which is operatively connected to the pedal to depress the same when the other arm of the bellcrank is moved, a longitudinally movable rod, one end of which normally but disengageably contacts with said other bellto the other end of the rod actuated in coordinated conjunction with the operation of the advancing means for thus moving the rod, and means causing the rod to be moved clear of the bellcrank arm when no board is in position to be engaged and advanced by the advancing means.

12. In combination, supporting means for a stack of boards, a back-stop for the stack, means for advancing the stack toward the stop, means for engaging each board in turn as it reaches the stop and moving the same laterally and clear of the stack, whereby successively moved boards will extend in a row in edge to edge relation, a saw positioned to engage the boards in said row successively as they are thus advanced, and cut them into separate parts, and nailing means mounted in a fixed relation to said row of boards beyond the saw to nail the separate parts of each one together in turn as they are moved toward said nailing means.

13. A structure as in claim 11, in which said last named means includes a movable lug disposed to project into and be engaged and moved by an advancing board, a support for the rod adjacent the bellcrank, and means between said lug and support for causing the latter to be lowered from the rod when said lug is not engaged by a board.

1 14. A structure as in claim 12, in which the board moving means is arranged to intermittently leave the boards stationary, and means for operating the nailing means in coordinated conjunction with the operation of said moving means for causin the nailing means to function only as each card in turn is stationary.

15. In combination, supporting means for a stack of boards, a back-stop for the stack, means for advancing the stack toward the stop, a dog to engage one edge of the board nearest the stop, a slide support for the dog parallel to the board but at right angles to the direction of movement of the stack, a driven disc, a rod connected to the dog and to the disc at a point offset from the center of the latter whereby to reciprocate the dog through a given stroke with each rotation of the disc; the length of said stroke being sufficient to cause a board engaged by the dog to be moved clear of the stack, a saw mounted to cut through the board as it is moving and is clear of the stack, a nailing machine to which the cut board moves with the subsequent engagement and movement of another board from the stack, means including a depressible pedal whose depression causes the nailing machine to function, and means operated by the rotation of the disc for depressing the pedal once with eve complete revolution of the disc and whlle the 16. In a unitary combination, a board advancing means, means for sawing a board as advanced into separated parts, means for then nailing the parts together, and means holding the separated parts adjacent and in the same relat1ve positions to each other until said parts are nailed together.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HENRY GOFF. 

